


Unusual Care

by ApostateRevolutionary



Category: Dragon Age (Video Games), Dragon Age - All Media Types, Dragon Age II
Genre: Gen, I honestly don't know what to tag this, but warning for animal abuse, still ends happy but thought I should warn for it all the same
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-04-05
Updated: 2015-04-05
Packaged: 2018-03-20 02:52:35
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,105
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3633963
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ApostateRevolutionary/pseuds/ApostateRevolutionary
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Anders provides some unorthodox care in his clinic that brings back old memories.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Unusual Care

Anders let out an exhausted sigh as he collapsed into his chair. Maker, it had been a long day. He’d woken up this morning to the news that there’d be an accident at a Lowtown factory, most of the employees having been from Ferelden, forced into such dangerous work for far too little pay, followed by the injured arriving in droves. It had taken almost everything he had to deal with it, between attempting to triage the patients and actually healing them. Halfway through, he’d found himself leaning on Justice for help too much for his liking. The mage had managed to save most of them, but a couple were already too far gone by the time they got there, even for his talents.

Then, just as he’d sat down to regain his energy after spending basically the entire day healing the victims, a messenger from the Underground had brought more news of Ser Alric. That hadn’t been good for his nerves. After reading the letter, and the disturbing activities it described, he’d snapped at the messenger who’d brought it. Anders hadn’t meant to, instead planning to thank him for gathering more evidence, perhaps enough for him to finally make a move, but he’d just been so tired. He’d wondered after the fact if the fear on the messenger’s face had been a result of him snapping, or the potential of an odd hint of blue in his eyes when he did. Ultimately it didn’t matter; he just hoped he hadn’t alienated an ally with his temper. They had few enough of those without him scaring some off.

After replenishing his supplies, he’d now started work on his manifesto. It had been neglected as of late, something both he and Justice were none too happy with. Dipping his quill in the ink well, Anders began where he’d left off last time, finding the words coming to him quickly, the feather in his hand flying.

A panicked knock on the clinic door interrupted the mage’s frantic scribbling. He looked up, realizing it was much darker in his clinic than it had been when he’d sat down. No wonder his eyes were stinging. Anders lit the candle at his desk with a snap of his fingers before jumping up and hurrying to the door.

Sliding open the wooden door, the healer found a very upset looking young girl. His stomach dropped when he noticed the tiny, blood-soaked bundle in the shaking child’s arms. _A baby…_ Anders thought, sucking in a breath as he let the clinical front come, detaching himself from the situation.

“I’m sorry, ser, I know this isn’t what you do, but I couldn’t just leave him, and I didn’t know where else to go.” The girl was clearly worried, her words almost a babble.

Before Anders could speak, she carefully opened the bundle to reveal… a puppy. The poor thing was bruised and battered, but still clearly recognizable as a mabari pup. The mage had spent enough time in Ferelden to recognize the breed anywhere, no matter how young or injured. He ushered the girl and her ward to the nearest cot, where she carefully laid the pup down, spreading out the scrap of cloth she’d used to carry it underneath its tiny body. She then looked up at him urgently as he moved to appraise its condition.

The puppy was breathing, barely, but it had been badly beaten. Blood stained its tan coat, and he already knew it must have had internal injuries. Placing his hands on the sticky fur, Anders sent out a pulse of mana, which confirmed his suspicions. The pup was severely injured, barely alive, but it wasn’t anything he couldn’t handle.

The mage inhaled deeply, centring himself before pulling the magic forward and bending it to his will. He felt it enter the puppy’s body, closing wounds, setting and healing broken bones, and sealing off internal bleeding, all at his command. He kept pouring more and more into the tiny form before him, directing the flow to where it was most needed, until he could sense no more damage, inside or out.

Anders stumbled a bit, his focus breaking once he broke off the stream of magic, making him realize just how drained he was. Damn, he’d apparently been even weaker from the morning than he’d initially thought. He glanced at the puppy again, the tiny creature resting peacefully now, before grabbing a relatively clean cloth and wiping the sweat from his brow. When the healer looked back down at the girl, he found expectant eyes staring back at him.

“I-is he gonna be okay?” She asked, her voice cautiously hopeful.

“Yes, he’ll be just fine.” Anders answered, allowing himself a small smile. “He’s just resting now.”

The girls face lit up, and all at once she wrapped her tiny arms around his middle, squeezing the mage with all the strength she had. Anders was caught off guard by the gesture, unprepared for her show of gratitude, but he pulled one arm around her small shoulders to return the hug.

“So what happened to him? His injuries were extensive.” Anders had to ask the still-beaming girl after she pulled away.

Her expression quickly darkened. “I was just walking home, and I saw a few other kids standing in a circle and shouting…”

“I wanted to see what they were doing so I pushed passed them and saw him.” She glanced at the sleeping puppy. “They were throwing rocks at him and kicking him and… When I got there, he was whimpering, and I tried to get them to stop but they wouldn’t, not even when he stopped moving…”

There were tears in her eyes as she trailed off, but she continued only a moment later. “Once that happened, I just picked him up and ran. They chased me for a while but I’m really fast, so eventually they stopped. And then I didn’t know what to do, but people always said the healer was kind, so I thought I’d at least try and see if you could help. They were right about you.”

That comment brought forth some guilt, for this child did not know what he truly was. But the story also summoned a memory, one from a time he’d rather forget, that was much more insistent. Tiny arms wrapped around a small bundle, a hurt animal inside. He’d only been at the Circle a few weeks when it had happened.

Some of the other apprentices had decided to practice their spells on one of the cats in the tower, and Anders had burst in, snatching up the poor creature before they could do anymore damage. It had been badly burnt, the spells of choice clearly being fire, but was, miraculously, still alive. He could still hear the ragged wheezing from the suffering animal as he’d rushed towards the only older mage he thought could help: Wynne. She’d been kind to him, patient as he’d refused to speak to anyone since arriving, never pushing him. And she was a powerful healer, he’d known that much.

She’d been confused when he’d found her, panting from his run around the tower. He hadn’t known exactly what he should say, so he’d just held the bundle in his arms out to her, presenting her with the injured cat. After only a moment, she’d nodded in understanding, before gently taking the precious cargo from him and laying it out on the table.

His heart had raced the whole time as he’d watched her thread the magic through the animal’s body, eyes widening as the wounds disappeared in mere moments. On his way, he’d been so scared, whispering quietly to the cat that it’d be okay, that he’d find someone to save it, but he hadn’t known for sure that he’d be able to. But after only a short time, Wynne stepped back, assessing her work, before looking at him with a kind smile.

The cat had slept for a while after that, but had woken up and been more than happy to receive some head scratches from the young mage. Anders had thanked Wynne, profusely, the words being the first ones he’d spoken since arriving at the Circle. The older mage, politely, had not mentioned that, but there had been a smile on her face when he’d said it. That smile had widened even more when the next words out of his mouth were a request for her to teach him to heal like that, so that he could help himself next time someone or something innocent was hurt.

That had been the moment he’d decided to become a healer to begin with, and this girl and her puppy had reminded him so much of that moment. There was kindness in her, and the mage hoped life as a poor kid in Kirkwall never kicked it out of her.

The pup making a small noise as it woke up interrupted his nostalgia, and the girl moved excitedly to pet it. Anders, despite his general distaste for dogs, couldn’t resist stroking its head himself. The puppy stretched, its tail wagging as it came back up for more attention.

“Do you know much about mabari?” Anders asked, to which the girl shook her head. “They say they’re intelligent, smart enough to understand what you say. They’re also strong and loyal, certainly not a beast to be trifled with once they grow up. And, supposedly, they do something called ‘imprinting.’”

The girl looked at him blankly, clearly not know what they means. “It means they sort of… ‘pick’ people. Only those who are worthy, of course. It’s said to be a sign that you’re a good person if a mabari chooses you.”

“How do you get it to ‘choose’ you?” she asked, using her hands to play with the puppy as it barked playfully at her.

“I don’t know. I’ve heard stories of people saving one by chance, and ending up with a friend for life. There’s a good chance this one will choose you for what you did for him. And if he does that, he’ll take care of you for life, as long as you take care of him.” Anders answered, his knowledge of the beasts apparently coming in handy for once.

That seemed to make the girl happy. “Oh, I’d love to have a dog! But you’re the one who really saved him, so he could pick you too. I’m sure you’d like to have a guard dog for your clinic. So you can have him, if you like.”

The mage almost choked on his own saliva. Maker, please, no. “Um, thank you, but no. I’m sure you’d enjoy him much more than I would.”

Anders wondered if the internal horror he’d felt at that thought had shown, but the girl didn’t seem to mind. She was smiling as she continued, “Okay, if you’re sure. I’ll take him home now then.”

“That’s probably best. Be good to him, alright?”

“Don’t worry, I will.” She promised, scooping the puppy into her arms and heading towards the door.

The tiny beast squirmed a bit in her grasp, apparently still wanting to play, but eventually relented. Maybe he would imprint on her after all, give her some protection from the dangers in Kirkwall. That would be a good thing.

“Oh, healer, ser. I had a question.” The girl asked, pausing at the threshold between his clinic and the rest of Darktown.

“Yes?”

“Everyone just calls you ‘the healer’, but I was wondering… What’s your name?”

“Oh. You can call me Anders.” He answered, mildly confused by the question, but it seemed harmless enough.

“Thank you again, Anders.” She said, smiling as she left.

Anders heaved a sigh, looking out at the darkened sky. It was late now, and he desperately needed some sleep. He hadn’t made as much progress on his manifesto as he’d have liked, but there was nothing left in him. He’d used too much mana today to do much else other than rest, but at least it had been for a good cause. Ignoring the protesting in his mind, either Justice’s or his own, he never really knew, he crawled into bed, and fell asleep within seconds.

It wouldn’t be until some time later that the mage would hear rumours of a fearsome mabari named Anders terrorizing young delinquents in Kirkwall, supposedly scaring more than a few of them straight. Even if he wasn’t a fan of dogs himself, he couldn’t help but smile a bit at that news. Perhaps Darktown didn’t need to kick the good out of everyone after all.


End file.
